“I’m used to having small classes and being able to ask teachers anything,” Brown said. “It’s more (one on one) and they get to me right away, where with the bigger classes at State I’m worried I’m not (going to) know what to do.”

Class size is one of many concerns a group of MSU professors will research and address through STEM, an initiative backed by the Association of American Universities, or AAU, to help make intro courses in science, technology, engineering and math more enjoyable. MSU is one of eight universities moving forward with the initiative.

Melanie Cooper, a chemistry professor at MSU who also is the leader of the project, said AAU rewarded the group of researchers with a $500,000 grant for the next three years, to research how to make classes more interactive and keep students interested.

“We don’t want to cut off opportunities for students and have them not be successful early on,” Cooper said. “The goals of this initiative are to reward teaching and good pedagogical practices, and also to change the experience students have and make it more rewarding and meaningful.”

The study also will focus on creating a more interactive environment between teachers and students, and fostering peer communication among students. Cooper said more rewards would be put in place for teachers, while also incorporating more visual learning for students.

In terms of science, plant biology professor Diane Ebert-May said the team will come up with new ways to teach students to think like scientists.

“We need to teach biology as it is practiced by engaging students in the comprehension of 21st century biology, like qualitative reasoning … And communicating science to the public,” Ebert-May said. “These are the discipline-based things you need to learn biology, practicing what scientists do rather than the memorization of 50,000 words from a textbook.”

Ultimately, although it would prove both difficult and expensive to decrease class sizes right away, Cooper said it could bring growth.

“Some of these introductory courses are taught in very big sections, so it’s hard for students to get feedback,” she said. “There’s not many opportunities for students to work with faculty and with each other.”

Despite the expense, she said the initiative is important to help MSU keep one top priority in mind — the students.

“It will be difficult, but it’s not impossible,” she said. “We have to do it. The students deserve it.”